Safe and Sterile
by whileimhere10
Summary: Sophie-Anne has a present for Hadley


I just wonder what makes these two work on the show...please read and review! I love your comments!

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Hadley opened her eyes and watched the flickering light on the ceiling. It rippled rhythmically, mirroring the water that buoyed her. She floated, hands splayed out, enjoying the warm current that flowed through the pool. It was a good night. Peaceful. Sophie-Anne was out of town on business, and the day room was now twilight. Hadley was in charge of household matters in the Queen's absence, and even though she had grown more comfortable with the opulent lifestyle that came with being Sophie-Anne's consort, the need to conserve always manifested itself. Sophie-Anne, driven by her medieval sensibilities concerning status, was dismissive of Hadley's "palpable ties to poverty", but when the Queen was away, Hadley still made sure that the lights were out when there was no one in a room; it just made sense. She had even received a whispered compliment about her good influence from Sophie-Anne's accountant during a recent soiree.

Hadley's arm bumped into a wall and she pushed back, continuing to drift lazily along the long, narrow stretch of water like an otter in a zoo, back and forth, noting every tiny change to the ceiling above, the light scattering like minnows at the smallest splash. Smiling, she ducked under the surface and sank to the bottom, flipping her hair behind her as she propelled herself back up. Still grinning, she swiped at the water running into her eyes.

"Hello, Darling"

Sophie-Anne's voice was low and amused. She stood, briefcase in hand next to one of the chaise lounges. Hadley blinked and took her in, her body reacting with the unique combination of relief, fear and arousal that the queen inevitably produced. Her blood hummed with their connection as she treaded water.

"Welcome home, your majesty"

She felt like she always felt in the queen's presence: naked, without secret, adored, animalistic, lesser than. Sophie-Anne wore tweed pants and a white, ruffled shirt. Her waist was miniscule, her arms slim and strong. Her red hair was pinned up in a french twist. Gaudy chandeliers dripping with green stones hung from her ears. Her body was the pinnacle of order.

In her old life, Hadley had spent a great deal of time in the water. It was free entertainment. She and her boyfriends would drive to the beach and waste lazy afternoons in and out of lakes; kids splashing each other, groups of friends sharing coolers of beer. Her favorite part had been emerging soaking wet from a swim and catching the eye of the man she had come with. She loved the slow walk from the shore to his towel, the power she had as she straddled him, feeling his erection through his swim trunks as the hot sun beat down on them, sandy and damp. Messy kisses, affectionate arms, lots of cocaine...Sophie-Anne's pants probably cost more than cocaine. The antiseptic smell of chlorine scrubbed away her memories of the beach, and she settled back into her sober body in the sterile water, clean lines and darkness.

Placing her briefcase on the lounge, Sophie-Anne smiled at the ups and downs she felt shooting her way from Hadley. Addicts made for turbulent lovers. "For once," she began, " I'm glad that you insisted on turning all my lights off. I've had a miserable week."

Hadley watched her silently, ready to listen to a tirade. She was surprised when the queen beckoned to her and walked to the edge of the pool. With one small frog kick, she reached the wall and rested her arms on the edge at the queen's feet. Quick as lightning, Sophie-Anne sank to all fours and leaned down, meeting Hadley's lips with her own in a kiss. The queen's hand cradled the back of Hadley's head as Hadley pushed herself out of the water to press closer.

"I have something for you" Sophie-Anne murmured. She reached into her back pocket and produced a small, black box.

"You didn't need to do that."

"You don't even know what it is yet," the queen replied, standing upright once again. "It's possible that there's nothing inside." Hadley was silent. The queen opened the box and gazed into it, smiling. "It's quite beautiful, Hadley. I think it will become your new favorite thing."

"Can I see it?"

"Not like this" Sophie-Anne replied, and Hadley felt a burning shame at the inequality of their positions.

"I'll go get dressed" she offered, and tensed to jump out of the water.

"Stay there," the queen commanded.

Hadley did as she was told, confused. Sophie-Anne set the box down on the lounge and met Hadley's eyes. "I want to be the one to put it on your body." she explained. Her hands traveled to the top button of her shirt and began slowly easing the white circles through their holes, untucking the garment from her pants and revealing a long stretch of skin. Hadley watched, mesmerized. Sophie-Anne shrugged the shirt off unhurriedly and folded it, placing the square neatly beside the box. The muscles in her shoulders and back moved like shadows within shadows. She popped open the button on her pants and undid the zipper. As she stepped out of her heels, Hadley caught a glimpse of Sophie-Anne's dark pubic hair as the pants slipped down her thin hips. The queen enjoyed negligee, but Hadley noticed that when she had work to do, she often embraced power rituals that undercut her love of feminine norms, forgoing underwear being one of them. The queen was also fond of unnecessary armament, and as she removed her pants, she also slid off the knife sheaths that she kept wrapped around her thighs, the flat, sturdy blades glowing dully in the water's reflection as she carefully placed them on top of her clothes, cradling their weight tenderly. Her back to the pool, Sophie-Anne reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra. Hadley's nipples hardened as the queen turned around and scooped up the small box, padding towards the water slowly. Despite her bathing suit, Hadley felt as if she were the naked one.

The queen eased herself into the water, her features sharp without the flowing curls to soften the jut of her chin and cheeks. Hadley paddled backwards to peer at her, and Sophie-Anne had her pinned to the opposite wall with one powerful kick, her legs wrapped around Hadley's waist, one hand holding them up against the tile. The edge scraped against Hadley's back, friction interspersed with the coolness of the water. Sophie-Anne reached behind Hadley and set the box down; Hadley couldn't resist licking the water off her raised breasts. Sophie-Anne didn't acknowledge the gesture, sinking back down and snaking a hand behind Hadley to untie the top of her bikini, undoing the knot at the nape of her neck easily. She tossed the scrap of material aside and let it float away, looking into Hadley's eyes as leaned in and kissed her. Their breasts pressed together softly, human skin, vampire skin and warm water creating a mellow exchange of heat that made Hadley break out into goosebumps. The queen nuzzled her neck and licked along the curve of her throat.

"I can still smell you under all these chemicals" she whispered. "When I was turned, wet humans smelled like gardens in the morning. Now they smell artificial." she inhaled deeply " I can smell you when we're this close, though. Like fresh grass under the haze of gasoline. We animals of the world have suffered a blow to our senses with the inventions you use to keep yourselves safe and sterile."

"I used to swim in lakes, your highness. Would you like that better?"

"No," Sophie-Anne teased, "because then you would smell like a lake."

"What should I swim in, then?" Hadley mumbled, leaning her head back on the ledge as the queen kneaded her breast, lips trailing along her neck.

"The ocean," Sophie-Anne stated between kisses, "Humans straight from the ocean are a delicacy. You," she nipped at Hadley's earlobe, " would taste marvelous, like joy and fear and all kinds of delicious things."

"What do I taste like now?" Hadley asked, running her hands along the strong thighs wrapped around her.

The queen sank her fangs into Hadley's neck suddenly as she pinched her nipples. Hadley moaned at the pain. Sophie-Anne drank greedily, reaching a hand between them to skim around Hadley's clit. The blood that escaped like a dark cloud into the water quickly diluted and disappeared. Hadley sighed in pleasure as Sophie-Anne finished feeding and focused on Hadley's needs.

"Tonight, you taste melancholy." the queen said seriously as Hadley pushed her pelvis against her, " you normally burst like berries, but your sadness is delicious, like a rainy season. Tonight, you taste like sitting indoors during a sleet storm." She quickly lifted Hadley out of the water and pulled her to the edge. Sophie-Anne rested her hands on Hadley's thighs and pulled off the bottom of her swimsuit. Without prelude, she attacked her clit, licking, sucking and vibrating her tongue against the other woman with supernatural speed. Hadley came quickly, shuddering with both her orgasm and the chill of the air. Sophie-Anne eased her back into the water as she recovered, cradling her body, looping Hadley's arms around her neck as they floated together slowly. Hadley's chilled skin prickled with the water's heat, and Sophie-Anne reached between her legs to stroke her again, Hadley's second orgasm building as she and the queen kissed in the middle of the pool, the monarch's tongue dancing around the inside of Hadley's mouth. Sophie-Anne released the pin that held her hair up and Hadley tangled her hands in the damp, red mane. Sophie-Anne bit into her shoulder and Hadley shuddered with pleasure, her rapid heartbeat pouring blood out of the wound and into the queen's hungry mouth.

Sophie-Anne paddled them back over to the edge, Hadley draped in her arms, head resting on the queen's shoulder, eyes closed. Hadley felt the friction on her back again as Sophie-Anne reached up and out of the pool. She opened her eyes and Sophie-Anne's skin glowed against the water, her dark irises watchful as a crocodile. Delicate fingers opened the black box and Hadley caught a glimpse of gold. Legs wrapped around Hadley's waist again, the queen spilled a pair of earrings into her palm and tossed the box aside. They were simple: thin gold chains weighted at the ends with a faceted teardrop of black onyx. Hadley eyed them appreciatively as Sophie-Anne held them up in the dim light.

"There's a story behind these." the queen said matter of factly as she leaned in towards Hadley's face. Dextrous thumbs caressed Hadley's earlobes and she felt the touch of metal sliding into the tiny hole that normally housed hoops and hearts. Sophie-Anne repeated the motion on her other ear, pulling back to admire the gift.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" Hadley asked, running her hands over the smooth planes of the queen's collar bones.

"No." Sophie-Anne smirked. "Not tonight. I just want to enjoy them on you. We really must expand your collection of accessories. _I'm_ bored with them." Hadley rolled her eyes. The queen ignored her, playing with the drops that hung heavy from her ears.

"I guess you probably want me to thank you" Hadley said, vexed with Sophie-Anne's arrogance

"No gift comes without a price, darling," Sophie-Anne replied, still focused on the earrings, "but I have some things I need to attend to right now. I hope you'll join me later tonight" With a lithe stretch, the queen made to exit the pool, but as she rose up, Hadley grabbed onto her hair tightly and pulled her backwards into the water with a loud splash that soaked them both.

"Hadley, what the _fuck?" _Sophie-Anne sputtered furiously, her hair hanging around her face in clumps, mascara running down her cheeks.

"Those aren't _your_ lights." Hadley spat, pointing at the dark chandeliers. "_You _asked me to live here. _You_ put me in charge of things. _You _ rely on me when you're gone. As far as I'm concerned, some of the things in this mansion are _ours, _and you need to start treating me with a little bit of respect."

Sophie-Anne stared at her, dumbfounded. Hadley continued, "And yes, I know you're more beautiful than me. I know you think you can dress me up to hide where I came from, but you know what, Sophie? With all due respect, you've got five hundred years on me and when you were my age, you lived in a dirt hut in France with a herd of goats, so I wouldn't get so high and mighty just yet."

They locked eyes, treading water cautiously. Hadley could feel the queen's emotions through their bond: anger, indignance, and at the core, the salty insecurity of fear. Hadley scowled and tried to project her displeasure as much as possible through the invisible connection. Suddenly, Sophie-Anne threw back her head and laughed. She pushed her hair out of her face with both hands and smiled at Hadley brightly, looking for a moment like any other young woman.

"I'll tell you a secret" she stated, still grinning.

"'What?" Hadley asked sullenly

"Not only did I have to sleep with the goats when I was human, but when I was first turned, I was so afraid of being discovered that I tried to sleep beneath their shed as a vampire. They were _terrified_ and I used to cry every night because I hated the vampire who had turned me, I hated the humans who would kill me, and even the goats would not befriend me."

Hadley smiled and met her eyes. Sophie-Anne floated over and looped an arm around Hadley's waist. "I have been a queen since your great, great grandmother was a child" she began, " and sometimes I forget how it feels to be so young." She stroked Hadley's cheek affectionately.

Hadley laced her arms behind Sophie-Anne's head and eyed her skeptically.

"Tomorrow, let's talk about making you feel more at home here. I can arrange for anything you'd like."

"Thank you." Hadley stated, looking into her eyes

"And I only meant to tease you tonight. The earrings are merely a gift. I like seeing you wear beautiful things." Hadley raised an eyebrow, " I like to see you wearing things _I _think are beautiful" Sophie-Anne corrected.

"That's better" Hadley whispered.

"I love you" Sophie-Anne said sincerely.

"I love you too"

They kissed softly in the quiet room, the light flickering off their skin. Hadley pulled back. " You're going to be late for your meeting. You can't go with that hair."

"It's fine." the queen responded. "They can wait."

Hadley smiled and ran her hands through the limp red strands. "Go get ready" she ordered playfully. "We can see each other later tonight."

"It's all I'll think about"

Hadley smiled and kissed her quickly "Go!" Sophie-Anne kissed her hard and was gone. The only evidence she had been in the room was the lapping of the waves over the edge of the pool. Hadley looked at her wrinkling fingers and pulled herself up out of the water. Wrapping up in a towel, she stretched over the pool's edge to recover the pieces of her swimsuit hovering by the drain She made her way back to her room quickly and stood in front of the bathroom mirror while the shower heated up. The earrings were lovely. She'd have to thank Sophie for them properly.


End file.
